Examining the Virtue of Justice in Spousal Relationships from a Psychological and Religious Perspective

Although justice is one of the most fundamental concepts in human history, there is no consensus on its definition. However, justice can be interpreted as the granting of rights to their holders and the application of values and social rules. Justice is given importance in every social unit, including the family. In Turkey, 2025 has been declared the Year of the Family, and some goals have been set to protect the family. The subject of this research is the psychological and religious/spiritual analysis of the virtue of justice in the relationships of spouses with each other and with their children in the family. This study aims to analyze the relationship between spouses psychologically and religiously within the framework of the virtue of justice. For this purpose, a literature review was conducted on this topic. The semi-structured interview method, one of the qualitative research methods, was used in the study. The semi-structured interview method, one of the qualitative research methods, was applied in the study. Interviews were conducted with a total of 26 people, 13 working women and 13 working men. Criterion sampling method, one of the purposeful sampling methods, was used in the research. The data were analyzed by the thematic analysis method. At the end of the research, it was found that the virtue of justice between spouses is effective in maintaining healthy relationships between spouses. It has been determined that justice has significant effects on social communication, responsibilities, relations with the environment; psychological coping with adversities, psychological resilience, and psychological well-being in the family. For individuals with religious beliefs, it was found that belief in justice in the family was effective in experiencing and transferring spiritual values and coping with conflicts. When injustice is experienced between spouses, it was observed that individuals were negatively affected psychologically. It has been revealed that religious belief has a positive psychological effect on individuals as a consolation mechanism against injustices experienced in the family. However, it was found that the fact that the spouse is a religious individual does not mean that he/she will always ensure justice in the family; the family of origin can be effective in teaching justice to individuals. For working women, it was stated that when an egalitarian approach is not exhibited in terms of duties within the family, both physical and psychological difficulties are experienced. In addition, it has been revealed that individuals can prioritize love over justice, especially in terms of children; even if they are subjected to injustice, the love between the spouses continues, or the relationship continues due to the child element. However, to ensure justice and strengthen the bond of love in the marital union, it was observed that dividing work, such as housework and childcare, equally between the spouses is crucial. In addition, spouses being together more and having healthy communication with each other may be effective in ensuring emotional justice. The results of the study are limited to the data collected from a small group of participants. Expanding scientific studies on marriage and justice and conducting these studies in institutions such as family counseling centers may positively affect marital stability and satisfaction. In addition, the majority of the participants stated that they experienced injustice at work. Therefore, it would be useful to conduct future studies on work-life, marriage, and justice.